Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial competition among porifera: Solution by epizoism

  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Sponges settling on solid substrates which are separated by sediment bottoms compete for the limited space. Some species have solved this problem by occurring as epizoans, thus avoiding the risk of being expelled from the habitat. The supporting species on the other hand, are specialized in that they possess skeletogenous ectosomal structures and aquiferous processes to maintain their integrity and to escape starvation or suffocation. Although specimens are sometimes intimately interwoven no chimaerid mixing of tissues was observed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature

  • Borojevic, R., Lévi, P.: Le basopinacoderme de l'éponge Mycale contarenii (Martens). Technique d'étude des fibres extracellulaires basales. J. Microscopie 6, 857–862 (1967).

    Google Scholar 

  • Brønsted, H. V., Carlsen, F. E.: A cortical cytoskeleton in expanded epithelium cells of sponge gemmules. Exp. Cell. Res. 2, 90–96 (1951).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gross, J., Sokal, Z., Raugvie, M.: Structural and chemical studies on the connective tissue of marine sponges. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 4, 227–246 (1956).

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, F. J.: Bispecific chimerid sponges from the Antarctic. Nature (Lond.) 211, 436–438 (1966).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rützler, K.: Systematik und Ökologie der Poriferen aus Litoral-Schattengebieten der Nordadria. Z. Morph. Ökol. Tiere 55, 1–82 (1965a).

    Google Scholar 

  • —: Substratstabilität als ökologischer Faktor im marinen Benthos, dargestellt am Beispiel adriatischer Poriferen. Int. Rev. ges. Hydrobiol. 50, 281–292 (1965b).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rützler, K. The mangrove community, aspects of its structure, faunistics and ecology. Proc. Internat. Symposium on Coastal Lagoons, Mexico City (1970, in press).

  • Sarà, M.: Contributo alla conoscenza dei Poriferi del Mare Ligure. Ann. Mus. Civico St. Nat. Genova 70 207–244 (1958).

    Google Scholar 

  • —: La fauna di Porifera delle grotte delle isole Tremiti. Studio ecologico e sistematico. Arch. Zool. ital. 46, 1–59, (1961).

    Google Scholar 

  • Topsent, E.: Etude de spongiaires du Golfe de Naples. Arch. Zool. exp. gén. 63, 623–725 (1925).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 20560, Washington, D. C.

    Klaus Rützler

Authors
  1. Klaus Rützler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This work was supported in part by Smithsonian Research Foundation Grant Sg 068104. I thank Dr. H. Forstner (Innsbruck) for his assistance in the field. Miss M. Dwyer prepared the drawings.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rützler, K. Spatial competition among porifera: Solution by epizoism. Oecologia 5, 85–95 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00347624

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00347624

Keywords

Search

Navigation